12 replies to this topic

[Biggieboy]

Hey guys,

I'm loving the game, but there are moments when I get SERIOUSLY frustrated, especially with LRM's. I know there's AMS, but it'll only stop a few missiles, and it's not uncommon to play against an enemy with 4 catapults loaded with LRM's. Not only that, they seem to have a near infinite amount of ammo, and it's getting really frustrating, especially on open maps.

So, what is your advice against LRM's or an enemy army with mostly LRM's?

[Buckminster]

What are you playing in?

The obvious counter is ECM - if it's available to your mech.

The second obvious counter is to not be a target. Use cover very wisely. If someone launches at you, move behind a building or a hill and break their ability to see and target you. Also, if you advance too quickly, you may leave yourself a sitting duck, the only guy that the opposing team can see and target. Advance slowly, as a group, and you will minimize the LRMs that come at you.

[Royalewithcheese]

My advice would be:

• Stick to cover. They can't hit you if they can't get a lock on you. They also can't hit you if there's something in the way of the LRMs' flightpath to you.
  
• Stay in an ECM bubble, either your own or your teammates'. This doesn't prevent them from targeting you, but it makes it harder.
  
• Hit them with long-range direct-fire weapons (PPC/Large Laser/Gauss/Ultra AC/etc.) to convince them to get back in cover. Especially if you have cover of your own to fall back on, this can help you beat LRM configs at their own game.
  
• Get inside 180m. This is the cut-off for where LRMs become useless, and any build that runs a significant number of LRMs is making serious sacrifices somewhere else to get all that tonnage, making it weak in a situation where it can't use LRMs.

Edited by Royalewithcheese, 17 March 2013 - 03:27 PM.

[White Bear 84]

Build a brawler and eradicate their long range firepower. Get in their face.

Alternatively, get a light and do the same.

The best way to avoid LRM's is to remove their ability to make you a target. As above you can hide in the hills, behind buildings etc. But sometimes the best way is to run up to them and give them a great big slap in the face

[Ryu Bateson]

AMS does help, but as you said it only stops a few missiles. Even so those few stopped are worth the AMS cost alone! Wonder if we will see LAMS....(Laser anti missile system) anyway group near teammates with AMS. Three or four AMS will take down more missiles than one AMS alone. I have seen Salvos of LRMS taken down because my squad mates were together and our AMS were hacking away at the incoming missiles. Additionally a little more AMS ammo never hurt either...

ECM is another good one. Takes longer for the enemy to get a lock.

The best idea though, Don't stay in the open! Hide behind hills and buildings. When you hear that voice, TAKE COVER! I have had 3 catapults fire at me and not one of their missiles hit because I hid behind cover. Just be aware though, that ARTEMIS targeting systems can counter this trick on occasion. Remember, before any brawling starts think like a real life sniper. Hide, Take your shot, gather your intel, and MOVE ON. an enemy that moves and hides is a lot harder to track.

Additionally Keep an eye out for enemy scouts. They will relay your position to those nasty catapults and trebuchets! Again use cover, teammates, Pipes, Bridges, buildings and terrain to your advantage!

And as always NEVER get caught away from your allies. A lone mechpilot is a dead mechpilot.

Well that's my two cents. Hope it helps. Keep your head up, like anything else in this world, it takes practice!

[Syllogy]

Royalewithcheese, on 17 March 2013 - 03:26 PM, said:

My advice would be:

• Stick to cover. They can't hit you if they can't get a lock on you. They also can't hit you if there's something in the way of the LRMs' flightpath to you.
  
• Stay in an ECM bubble, either your own or your teammates'. This doesn't prevent them from targeting you, but it makes it harder.
  
• Hit them with long-range direct-fire weapons (PPC/Large Laser/Gauss/Ultra AC/etc.) to convince them to get back in cover. Especially if you have cover of your own to fall back on, this can help you beat LRM configs at their own game.
  
• Get inside 180m. This is the cut-off for where LRMs become useless, and any build that runs a significant number of LRMs is making serious sacrifices somewhere else to get all that tonnage, making it weak in a situation where it can't use LRMs.

This.

[The Warspite]

Royalewithcheese, on 17 March 2013 - 03:26 PM, said:

My advice would be:

• Stick to cover. They can't hit you if they can't get a lock on you. They also can't hit you if there's something in the way of the LRMs' flightpath to you.
  
• Stay in an ECM bubble, either your own or your teammates'. This doesn't prevent them from targeting you, but it makes it harder.
  
• Hit them with long-range direct-fire weapons (PPC/Large Laser/Gauss/Ultra AC/etc.) to convince them to get back in cover. Especially if you have cover of your own to fall back on, this can help you beat LRM configs at their own game.
  
• Get inside 180m. This is the cut-off for where LRMs become useless, and any build that runs a significant number of LRMs is making serious sacrifices somewhere else to get all that tonnage, making it weak in a situation where it can't use LRMs.

Agreed, this. You can also power down to break the lock they have on you. This is risky for obvious reasons. Also, if there's a volley in the air already, it will hit you so power down behind cover.

[PaintedWolf]

Pretty much every Mech can equip AMS. Have you tried equipping AMS?

[Peter Powers]

i barely run into alot of LRM nowadays, ever since ecm was introduced, LRM have become less of a problem.

Options to counter LRM

• AMS, stick with several mech that have AMS, so you cover each other and your fine
  
• ECM, stick with ECM mechs, and you will barely see LRM hitting you (there are very few pilots who manage to hit with unguided shots)
  
• use cover. nowadays you get a warning if someone is shooting LRM's at you. find out where they are coming from and hide behind a house. The Attacker most likely loses lock AND if he doesnt, there is a high chance that the missiles crash in your cover.
  
• Sneak into their inner range. most LRM based mechs are useless in close range (180 and less)

Edited by Peter Powers, 19 March 2013 - 03:50 AM.

[Buckminster]

PaintedWolf, on 18 March 2013 - 05:31 PM, said:

Pretty much every Mech can equip AMS. Have you tried equipping AMS?

AMS only does so much against some of the boaters out there. Against an LRM10? It's nice. Against 4 LRM15s? Not so much.

[Beef Hands]

Move behind a building or hill. If you find that you cannot get to cover in time consider putting a larger engine in your mech. Also, ECM.

[StalaggtIKE]

• ECM
  
• speed (out run them; they only go at 100m/s)
  
• cover
  
• distance (go beyond their max range)
  
• AMS

  Quote

  Does 2.0 damage per second to missiles.
  All missiles have 1 hitpoint, except the NARC which has 2.
  The range of the AMS is 200m.
  
  Allied AMS work together to shoot down the same missiles in most situations.
  
  Your AMS has priority against missiles that are locked onto you. Anything else is secondary.
  
  So if a LRM is moving at 100m / sec at and you are stationary, in a perfect world, the AMS may shoot down 4 LRMs in that volley.
  So 5 Allied AMS should be able to shoot down a whole LRM20 volley.
  
  Your velocity and direction compared to that of the missiles dictates how many missiles you can shoot down.
  
  The AMS system updates (get new missiles list) every 0.5s so that also have an effect on how many are shot down.
  
  Works against all missiles : LRM, SRM, SSRM, NARC.

[ElLocoMarko]

Moving from cover to cover was just part of life in the pre-ECM days (sometimes nicknamed LRM online) and it works to a point. But if the LRM is really thick you find yourself pinned to a rock waiting for the enemy to come closer and then step out and get killed by LRM anyhow because the only thing that came close was their brawlers. Avoiding LRM is something that must be done, nearly all the time... but it won't win the match until you figure out how to return fire.

I have to admit that I have been on the sending side of "too much LRM" lately and here is what gives me a bad day...

#1) En enemy ECM light gets up close and jams me. I become very useless. Look for LRM hanging out alone.
#2) Entire enemy under ECM bubble. I have to tag - it exposes my face to snipers.
#3) Tall hard cover and snipers (ridge lines, "the boat"). Firing LRM at pop-up snipers is a waste of time. Advantage sniper. Snipers are really dangerous when they work with each other... else they just teach everyone to duck and hide. Try this - in early game chat say "if there is a cat, prefer the left ear" and see what happens.
#4) LRM max range is 1000m. I seldom see any real damage delt when range is 800-1000 unless someone is really exposed (a runner on alpine).

Edited by ElLocoMarko, 19 March 2013 - 07:58 AM.